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Eyes on Trade is a blog by the staff of Public Citizen's Global Trade Watch (GTW) division. GTW aims to promote democracy by challenging corporate globalization, arguing that the current globalization model is neither a random inevitability nor "free trade." Eyes on Trade is a space for interested parties to share information about globalization and trade issues, and in particular for us to share our watchdogging insights with you! GTW director Lori Wallach's initial post explains it all.

May 07, 2013

Public Citizen and Sierra Club Denounce World Trade Organization Attack on Successful Clean Energy Program

In Final Appeals Ruling, WTO Orders Canada to Roll
Back Green Jobs Program

A World Trade
Organization (WTO) final ruling against Ontario’s successful renewable energy
incentives program, which has reduced carbon emissions and created clean energy
jobs, underscores the threat the WTO poses to a clean energy future, Public
Citizen and Sierra Club said today.

In November 2012, the WTO ruled
that Ontario’s incentives program for renewable energy companies at home – or
“feed-in tariff” program – violates WTO rules that forbid treating local or
domestic firms and products differently from foreign firms and products. On
Monday, the WTO struck down Canada’s appeal of that initial ruling in a
decision that went even further to condemn the green jobs program as a
violation of WTO rules.

“By ordering the rollback of a
successful program that is reducing carbon pollution and creating green jobs
after recently sacking three popular U.S. consumer protection policies, the WTO
is destroying whatever shred of legitimacy it still had after years of imposing
its anti-consumer, anti-environment dictates,” said Lori Wallach, director of
Public Citizen’s Global Trade Watch. “Just like the WTO rulings ordering the
U.S. to gut popular laws on country-of-origin meat labels, dolphin-safe tuna
labels and limits on candy-flavored cigarettes marketed to kids, this latest
attack against an initiative promoting renewable energy, localization and green
job creation is simply unacceptable.”

Ontario’s renewable energy incentives
program was established under the Green Energy and Green Economy Act of 2009.
It increases incentives to develop clean and safe renewable energy by
guaranteeing that the provincial public electricity utility, Ontario Power
Authority, will pay a preferential price for 20 years to companies for the
wind, solar and other clean energies they produce. Although the program is new,
it already has achieved significant success, including contracts for an
estimated 4,600 megawatts worth of clean energy and the creation of more than
20,000 jobs in just two years.

“As people around the world grapple
with consequences of the climate crisis, their governments should and must use
every tool available to reduce dangerous carbon pollution and create new clean
energy jobs,” said Ilana Solomon, Sierra Club trade representative.
“To avoid climate chaos, the WTO needs to get out of the way of
innovative and successful climate solutions and job creators.”

The Sierra Club and Public Citizen
support calls of Canadian allies, including the Council of Canadians, to keep
Ontario’s renewable energy incentives program in place.

This unfortunately is a sign that the WTO has been corrupted by the fuel industry, Department of Agriculture, Fishing Industry and Tobacco Industry. When the WTO is against clean air, clean job creation and clean energy.

Just like the WTO rulings ordering the U.S. to gut popular laws on country-of-origin meat labels, dolphin-safe tuna labels and limits on candy-flavored cigarettes marketed to kids, this latest attack against an initiative promoting renewable energy, localization and green job creation is simply unacceptable.”

The WTO needs to be investigated for corruption from the previously mentioned rulings regarding preventing Canada's clean energy and jobs programs and gutting the US programs to keep people informed of ordering the rollback of a successful program that is reducing carbon pollution and creating green jobs after recently sacking three popular U.S. consumer protection policies.

In his long career as a leading research scientist for the Canadian government, Thierry Vrain was paid to reassure the public that genetically engineered foods were safe to eat.

But now, this insider is lifting the veil of deception and exposing the truth Monsanto doesn’t want you to know. He says:
I refute the claims of the biotechnology companies that their engineered crops yield more, that they require less pesticide applications, that they have no impact on the environment and of course that they are safe to eat... The scientific literature is full of studies showing that engineered corn and soya contain toxic or allergenic proteins.”